Educating international students is a commitment many UK universities make. During 2022/23, the academic year this study focuses on, international students made up 26% of the overall student population in the UK (HESA, 2024).  At postgraduate level this number was even more significant, with 71% of postgraduate full-time students having had a permanent address outside of the UK (Ibid.). Income gained from international student fees is known to underpin the economic survival of the Higher Education sector, however, the sustainability and legitimacy of this practice has been called into question (Lomer et al., 2023; Merabet, 2024).  The main objectives of this paper is to demonstrate the international student experience from the students’ perspectives.  The overarching research question underpinning the study is: 

o             How do international postgraduate taught students experience their studies at a research-intensive UK university?

This paper aims to shift the focus away from the individual’s ability to overcome challenges towards a more critical understanding of the dynamic and complex experience of transition, and which conceptualises this experience in relation to the environment in which it occurs. Therefore, the second objective of this paper is to make a modest conceptual contribution that may help researchers, professionals and other Higher Education practitioners grasp the typical features of the international postgraduate student experience in the UK.

Building on theories of human development, ecological systems theory allows us to conceptualise the individual student experience as part of a larger ecology (Jones, 2018; Kudo, 2023). Jones (2018) identified seven microsystems that appear to influence students’ personal development and academic progression through a degree: Expectations pre-university; transition – settling into student life; university peer and friendship groups; social background outside university; the degree programme; extracurricular activities and preparing for life after graduation. Interactions with these microsystems are underpinned by how engaged or alienated students feel at university. Jones states that a sense of belonging fuels active engagement while alienation leads to decreased interaction, even disengagement which in turn can hinder personal development and academic progress. As Jones’ study focussed mainly on undergraduate home students in the UK, this paper seeks to develop and modify this conceptual framework for researching the international postgraduate taught experience.

Other researchers interested in the international student experience have synthesised acculturation and ecological systems theory effectively, for instance, Elliot et al. (2016) who investigated the experiences of international doctoral students in the UK. The authors argue that acculturation for international students is a complex and multi-dimensional process of re-orientation from one ecological system to another. Academic acculturation is conceptualised as ‘management and re-negotiation of old and new ecological systems,’ and is a more useful and less deficit-focused model than those used in earlier acculturation studies of international students (Ibid.: p. 2201). This paper will adopt a similar conceptual lens to analyse how international postgraduate taught students navigate this period of re-orientation. It is important to note, however, that this period is significantly shorter than the time doctoral students have at their disposal for re-orientation. As this paper will demonstrate, this temporality means that the international postgraduate student experience and any re-orientation associated with it is marked by transience.

The article adopts an interpretative paradigm, undertaking a thematic analysis of qualitative data (Buckler and Moore, 2023). Findings were derived from general inductive coding of survey and focus group data. These codes were then further interpreted using ecological systems theory. Sampling: We conducted a survey of international students starting their programme at the university in September 2022 to assess their expectations and identify initial themes for further data analysis. We received 278 responses. The survey was designed to capture motivations and expectations to study at University X, a research-intensive UK university and a member of the Russell group. We used the data generated by the survey responses to inform the areas of discussion for the follow-on focus groups. Allowing the data generated by students to shape the focus group inquiries was to counteract potential bias coming from our own professional practice. Further samples of data were then collected through six focus groups which took place at three key points in the academic year – two after semester 1, two at the end of semester 2 and a final 2 were conducted online after dissertations had been submitted. Attendance at the focus groups was incentivised with vouchers. Most students we interviewed attended more than one round of focus groups which allowed us to capture the development of their ideas and experiences of studying at University X over the course of eight months. This then is an inter-temporal study which provides more than just a snapshot. Stage 1 – Data Familiarisation Following a general inductive approach (Thomas, 2006), we first started familiarising ourselves with the data by listening to the focus group recordings and reading the focus group transcripts. We identified initial themes separately and these were then cross-checked in a discussion. Stage 2 – Inductive Coding Once the initial key themes were agreed upon, the focus group transcripts were analysed in more detail and coded to each key theme. The coded responses were further examined for emerging subthemes. Six subthemes were identified at this stage. Once all focus groups were coded in this way, we analysed each key- and subtheme in more detail to capture the overriding sentiment, but also contradictions between different students. Finally, we developed a modified version of Jones’ ecological systems theory to interpret and discuss the themes and subthemes.

This paper asks how international postgraduate taught students experience their studies at a major UK university. We gathered survey and focus group data to undertake a thematic analysis and used ecological systems theory to interpret our findings. We found that students’ experiences are dominated by continuous cultural and academic transition and are further shaped by the type and size of their degree programme as well as the novelty and intensity of the dissertation journey. University peer and friendship groups, extracurricular activities and background of the students also influence their experience. The shortness of undertaking a typical postgraduate taught degree in the UK means that the process of acculturation is never complete. This temporal barrier then raises the question whether acculturation is always in the best interest of the international postgraduate taught student. In other words, acculturation for these students is an extremely transient experience and might even be unattainable or undesirable for some, especially those in homogenous student cohorts and those who have to transition back into a very different ecological system. Our paper will present factors that increase students’ interactions with key microsystems of the host environment and foster a sense of belonging. These range from recruitment strategies to create diverse student cohorts to inclusive and self-reflective practices for teaching staff. Finally, however transient their experience, we stress that UK Higher Education institutions and the sector as a whole have a duty of care towards international postgraduate taught students and ought to nurture their academic and personal development by adopting strategies and practices that increase their engagement and mitigate against alienation.

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